New Year Trepidation

The month of January tends to invite a vibe of motivation: whether it is to lose all that pounds gained at  Christmas  or to face a new challenge, build your own business or even focus on loving yourself. January has the ability to make you feel brand new and conquerable at what seemed impossible last year. However, it’s undeniable that a month so full of determination also has its moments of anxiety as you plan and reflect on the 12 months ahead of you.  Anxious thoughts race through your mind: ‘Will I accomplish all I have set out to do this year?’ ‘Am I sure I want to start that business?’ ‘What if I fail?’ ‘What if I still don’t get married this year?’ ‘The economy has pronounced a financial doom, how will this affect my life?’, ‘Will my income this year be able to meet my growing expenditure?’
The questions can easily develop a cobweb of worries and fears which in turn can wilt into an anxiety disorder.

However, not all anxiety is ‘bad’. As women, worrying is not an uncommon phenomenon. With day to day pressures from work, life and home, it’s not abnormal to have anxiety now and then. By anxiety, I mean the feeling of worry, nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome. Such surges of anxiety can occur before a performance, exam, job interview and any other task that could seem daunting.
This feeling of anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations and it is your body telling you to stay alert and protect yourself.  This normal level of anxiety is also argued to help in focusing, acts as a warning to modulate or cease counterproductive behaviour and perform at your peak.
A moderate amount of anxiety is what keeps women on their toes, helps with juggling multiple tasks and puts them on high alert for potential problems. I’d like to see this as a reason for a woman’s good intuition!